League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Alameda County, CA November 6, 2012 Election
	Measure B1 Transportation Commission Sales Tax Measure Alameda County 2/3 Approval Required Fail: 350899 / 66.53% Yes votes ...... 176504 / 33.47% No votes See Also: Index of all Measures

Arguments For Measure B1

Arguments Against Measure B1

Measure B1 was first approved by Alameda County voters in 1986 and provides funds for critically needed transportation projects in Alameda County to reduce traffic congestion and improve public transportation. These projects include road maintenance and safety projects, earthquake safety retrofits for overpasses, bridges and elevated freeways, improvements to BART and AC Transit and insures that transit fares are kept affordable for seniors, disabled and youth. Alameda County residents need reliable and efficient transportation options for a better quality of life, stronger economy, and cleaner environment. The continuation and extension of this measure will allow critical transportation projects to move ahead uninterrupted. Measure B1 is a comprehensive plan to address critical transportation needs in every community in Alameda County. It will provide funds to maintain our roads and transit systems, improve traffic flow and highway safety, ensure public transportation is available and affordable to everyone, and make it safer and easier to bike and walk throughout the county. Passage of Measure B1 will also help Alameda County qualify for state and federal matching transportation grants. Every penny raised by Measure B1 stays in Alameda County to improve transportation systems. It will support our local economy by creating thousands of much-needed local jobs. A public oversight committee will ensure all funding is spent according to the plan. Measure B1 is a secure, local, and reliable source of funds for critical transportation projects in our community. No money can be taken away by the state or used for other purposes. You can read more about the plan at http://www.YesonB1.com. Every city in Alameda County has voted in support of this plan. Please join us in voting YES on Measure B1 and continue critical transportation funding for Alameda County. /s/ Robert A. Wieckowski, Member, Assembly Committee on Job Creation for the New Economy /s/ Scott Haggerty, Commissioner, Metropolitan Transportation Commission /s/ Nate Miley, Alameda County Supervisor /s/ Sheila Jordan, Superintendent, Alameda County Office of Education /s/ Arthur L. Dao, Executive Director, Alameda County Transportation Commission Rebuttal to Arguments For These are NOT New Plans: They are already in MTC, OneBayArea and other Regional Plans for Alameda County, Including many "EXTENSIVE NEW BIKE LANES". Proponents neglected to say: B 1 DOUBLES the existing Sales Tax. Adds $1.000.000.000 (Billion) in Revolving Bond Debts (Reauthorized "forever" when spent down - NO Limit). Adds a new "Storage" Tax (Hitting employers and individuals who store goods for sale) ALL NEW TAXES are "FOREVER TAXES" (deliberately set without a "sunset clause"). A MASSIVE TAX INCREASE: Disproportionately harming working families. (A greater percentage of their income goes to sales taxes.) Flawed public policy: Developers get rich on the backs of ordinary people by building lucrative apartment buildings. These trap lower-income residents into poverty cycles with jobs limited to those accessible by public transit. Our children get trapped in low-performing or failing public schools. Adding massive new taxes to struggling small businesses, lower-income and middle classes. HARMS OUR DEPRESSED ECONOMY AND DRIVES MORE EMPLOYERS OUT OF ALAMEDA COUNTY. Limiting Our Mobility: low-income today: How most Americans start out and very often escape It will be harder for many of us and our children to get ahead. Access to higher-paying jobs and benefits will be blocked. (Brookings Institute) IN AMERICA-ESCAPING POVERTY IS POSSIBLE- Measure B 1 blocks that ability. Middle-class families will also be set back: FORCED INTO PUBLIC TRANSIT ONLY-CAREER and SCHOOL OPTIONS are SHUT DOWN. DON'T PAY MORE TO HAVE YOUR OPTIONS REDUCED Measure B 1 is coming to your town VOTE NO TO STOP IT http://www.VoteNoMeasureB1.com /s/ Al Phillips, Candidate Assembly District 16 /s/ Christopher J. Pareja, Business Owner and June 2012 Independent Candidate /s/ Mimi Steel, SF Bay CAPR, President

This measure increases taxes on all income levels. It puts control of transportation decisions in the hands of Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC) who will use their taxing authority and resources to fund inefficient, expensive, and underutilized public transportation systems at the expense of automobile drivers. Car use under this plan will be discouraged because it competes with public transportation. Increasing the costs of driving is intended to reduce the number of people who can afford to own and drive a car, forcing many to use public transportation. ACTC will have the power to force citizens to assume responsibility for up to $1B in bond debt which will ultimately lead to requests for higher sales taxes and parcel taxes. Many residents would pay more than a 10% sales tax on everything they buy, a percentage that will only increase over time. Cities are being coerced into developing high density housing in mixed use developments near transit centers. Cities that do not comply could lose Measure B dollars yet their citizens will still be paying the sales tax. "These proposed funds would be distributed periodically by the Alameda CTC to eligible agencies within Alameda County" 2012 Alameda County Transportation Expenditure Plan Who are these agencies? Why should ATC be given a blank check written at taxpayer expense to disburse funds to undetermined "agencies" The Alameda County GRAND JURY just cited the county for "lack of oversight on the expenditure of funds" (CC Times, June 27, 2012) How can citizens trust that funds will be spent wisely? Vote NO /s/ Estes Albert Phillips /s/ Christopher J. Pareja /s/ Mary B. Steel, President, SF Bay CAPR Rebuttal to Arguments Against The opponents of Measure B1 are members of an ultra conservative fringe group who either make up facts or are misinformed. Here are the facts. Measure B has been in effect for 26 years. Measure B funds support projects throughout Alameda County including improvements to ALL transportation systems, roads, street repairs, BART, local bus systems (including AC Transit) and earthquake safety repairs of old overpasses and bridges. Most importantly Measure B1 provides funding so that transit fares for seniors and the disabled are kept affordable and that students are provided low cost transit passes to get to school. Every single city in Alameda County has voted to support this plan. In fact, every city participated in the development of the plan to identify critical projects important to each local community. Measure B1 will address the continuing transportation needs of Alameda County residents and businesses including reducing traffic congestion and improving air quality. Measure B1 keeps our sales tax dollars in Alameda County. No money can be taken by the state or used for other purposes. An independent oversight committee has been established to provide audits and to ensure all funds are spent properly. A YES vote on Measure B1 will fund critical local projects like road repair, BART improvements, passenger rail improvements and Safe Routes for Schools. It will support our local economy by creating thousands of much-needed jobs right here in Alameda County. Please vote Yes on B1 to keep our sales tax dollars in Alameda County. /s/ Scott Haggerty, Alameda County Supervisor /s/ Sheila Jordan, Alameda County Superintendent of Schools /s/ Nate Miley, County Supervisor /s/ Bob Wieckowski, Assembly Member /s/ Arthur L. Dao, Executive Director